For ergonomic reasons it is desirable to be able to remote control and control, respectively, the control device of all systems required during an operation from a central position, if possible out of a sterile area. Such a control may be carried out for example via a touch-screen (with a sterile cover) or via a voice control. The controlled devices and systems, respectively, may comprise for example endoscopic devices, as well as an op-table, op-lighting, room lighting, air conditioning, telephone, pager, internet, hospital-information system, consumption parts, management system and so on.
In view of the control of medical devices document DE 199 04 090 A1 for example discloses to interconnect single devices via a CAN-bus, the single devices being used as slaves and a host computer as master. All devices are controllable via this host computer.
The disadvantage of such a network is for example that the software- and hardware-efforts to be taken for the single host computer are very high since it has to be adapted to the device to be controlled having to fulfill the highest safety requirements. In view of devices to be controlled without having to fulfill these high safety requirements it may be possible that flexibility and simplicity of the handling may be lost.
If the single host computer is designed by applying a less stringent standard with respect to safety aspects, the risk would arise (for example for a PC with standard software like Windows-NT), however, said safety-related functions would be endangered by unreliable functions of non safety-related systems.
In this case it is assumed that the mentioned medical devices may be divided into two different groups, namely safety-related systems on the one hand, as for example endoscopic devices (insufflators, pumps, or RF-surgery and so on), op-table-control etc., namely devices or systems which may be life-threatening for a patient in the event of a breakdown or failure, and non-safety-related systems on the other hand, like picture archiving, material management systems, telephone remote control etc.